News

Elvis's crown to go on show at Bounds Green dentist

A dental crown worn by Elvis Presley will visit Haringey on Thursday to raise awareness of mouth cancer.

Brightside Dental Practice in Bounds Green will be the only London dental practice to receive the false tooth, nicknamed “The King’s Crown”, as it tours the nation.

The practice will carry out free mouth cancer screenings between 9am and 6pm. Patients can be photographed with the crown and sung to by an Elvis impersonator.

Elvis’s crown was made by the star’s former dentist, Henry J Weiss, and is currently owned by Canadian dentist Michael Zuk, who bought it for £6,500.

Mr Zuk, who also owns John Lennon’s teeth, said: "If you're going to buy teeth you're going to buy the most famous teeth in the world, yeah?”

Ketan Shah, a dentist at Brightside Practice, said that the day would be a fun one, but that the underlying message was serious.

He said: “People often aren’t aware of mouth cancer because they don’t have any pain or problems. When there are symptoms, the cancer is often at a later stage, but the risks can be reduced hugely if it’s caught at an early stage.

“The scan will take a few minutes, and we’re pre-booking at the practice throughout the day, so people shouldn’t have to wait around too long.”

Mr Shah said the cancer is more common in smokers, heavy drinkers, and people with poor diets, but can affect anyone, including young people.

He added: “If we can even help one person it will be worth it.”

Raffle tickets will be sold on the day, with proceeds going towards the Mouth Cancer Foundation charity.